


Camdonna Femslash Collection

by Fuffywumple



Category: Halt and Catch Fire
Genre: Anthology Series, F/F, Femslash, Femslash February 2020, Fluff, More tags to be added, probably angst in there somewhere, wlw goodness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22588318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuffywumple/pseuds/Fuffywumple
Summary: A collection of Camdonna fics to celebrate Femslash February 2020! Some will be broken up into parts (usually to make the workload a bit easier for me) and some will may have prompt quotes. Either way, they’ll be short little stories about these two girlfriends.Update: Not just for Februrary! Year-round Camdonna content whenever I'm not procrastinating.
Relationships: Donna Clark/Cameron Howe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 43





	1. The Open Road, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first part of the first fic in the collection! I’m not that confident in it, but I hope it’s satisfactory enough for y’all! More to come
> 
> *Just know that at this moment, the piece is unedited, however I will get around to editing it tonight when I have the time. I’m just so impatient!*
> 
> ***EDIT: LMAO I accidentally had the chapter posted twice so I fixed it

The Open Road, Part I (Donna POV)

_“Let us go then, you and I,_

_When the evening is spread out against the sky …_

_Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,_

_The muttering retreats_

_Of restless nights in_ _one-night cheap hotels_

_And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:...”_

_-”The lovesong of J Alfred prufrock” T.S Eliot_

The sky was a beautiful mix of orange and purple as Cameron’s truck sputtered along the abandoned road of whatever small town her and Donna had arrived in.

Tired from a long day of doing nothing, Donna rested her head against the car window, watching Cameron focus on the road through unfocused eyes. Her ass was sore, and she couldn’t wait to sleep in an actual bed. 

Cameron had originally the road trip would only be for herself, so she brought along the small tin can trailer she was used to living in. But with the last minute edition of Donna, things became more complicated. Sleeping on the makeshift couch that folded over the breakfast table was starting to kill Donna’s back, and she wasn’t going to keep quiet about it.

It took major convincing, but she got Cameron to agree to rent a motel for the night, just the one, so that her back could get the treatment it deserved. Donna felt much more relaxed with just the idea that she would be getting a good night’s rest.

Donna watched as Cameron bit her lip, scanning the road ahead of her with a deep quint in her eyes. The gears turning in her head seemed almost visible, though the process was nothing near the way it looked when cameron was in front of a computer. The woman was magic, Donna couldn't deny it. No matter the process, Cameron took on any challenge with a brazen wisdom, despite her age.

Cameron rolled her shoulders back, letting a frustrated sigh escape her lips, “God, I’m starving.”

It took Donna a moment to register that she was, too. She licked her lips, glancing down at her restless stomach. Her mind had been so overtaken that she didn’t register anything else but Cameron.

“Yeah, me too.” Donna said, sitting back up, “seen anything around lately?”

“No. But there has to be something soon, right?”

“I mean, yeah it’ll be _something_.” Donna mumbled, doubting the quality of any kind of restaurant in this tiny place.

Cameron says something through a yawn, but Donna’s mind dips back into the fog again, so she doesn’t catch it.

So many miles from home. Even more miles away from her two girls, who are both in _Bangkok_ for God’s sake, Donna feels the knot in her gut begin to loosen as time goes on. It was a freedom she never knew she needed, she never knew she _wanted._ When Cameron offered to take her along, Donna was tentative, she wasn’t sure what to do. But as the distance between her and San Fransisco got larger, her stress seemed to fade.

“Oh, well. That’s something.” Cameron’s voice breaks the mold of Donna’s swimming mind again. The shorter woman looks forward out the windshield to see a half run-down building advertising itself as a restaurant. The place looked like it was on its last legs, rotted and in need of a new paint job, but the OPEN neon sign was blinking.

“Ugh, really?” Donna pressed her thumb and forefinger against her temple.

“I’m not waiting any longer, screw it.” Cameron guided the truck into the virtually empty parking lot, and threw it in a random spot. The jolt of the car made the emptiness of Donna’s stomach more pronounced. She sighed, and took her time to slide out of the truck, relishing in the fact that she could finally feel her legs again.

She stretched out her body like a snake while Cameron shuffled out of the truck herself, grunting.

“We _have_ to take breaks more often.” Donna said, wobbling over to where Cameron stood, meeting her in the middle.

“It’ll just slow us down.” Cameron started walking to the rotten-looking doors of the restaurant before them.

“All we have is time.” 

The smell of everything hit Donna like a truck when the doors pushed open. It was almost like… fish, and woodchips, and wet dog. She stifled a cough into her hand. The worst combination she could think of in that moment was assaulting her nose. Cameron didn’t seem to be fond of it either. 

“After you.” Donna said, with a strain in her voice. Cameron chuckled, moving her way in.

“As long as they’ve got beer.”

And beer they had.

Beer and shrimp, as well as some sort of clam chowder. It was all so wonderfully gross. Donna loved it all.

“How long are the girls away?” Cameron asked, after her first beer.

“Two more months.” Donna replied, forcing down a bite of shrimp that was somehow still frozen inside.

Cameron hummed, “Two more months to ourselves, then.”

Something in Donna’s chest tingled, and it wasn’t the food. Two more months of just her and Cameron. Together, and the open road. After everything that came at her, issue after issue, Donna was drowning at home. That pool would have killed her. 

But Cameron. There is something about Cameron that is so perfect, so freeing. The girl even followed Donna into her dreams every night. An ambassador for freedom and love. Each new day around her seemed to bring out more of Donna than she ever knew existed. She couldn’t wait until Cameron brought who she really was.

“All to ourselves.” Donna’s lips broke into a smile involuntarily, she couldn’t help it. Seeing Cameron’s eager smile brought a light into her chest. Cameron’s smile got bigger and bigger until she cracked up, laughing and chuckling from deep in her throat. The sound was soothing. It eased the tension in the back of Donna’s neck.

Soon enough, beer bottles lined the table, and the plenty of seafood dishes were cleared. Donna wasn’t hungry anymore, but she didn’t feel much better about herself. By that point, she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Cameron was in the middle of telling a story, waving her arms and emphasizing every word as if absolutely _no_ detail could be left behind.

Donna couldn’t understand much of what Cameron was saying through the wave of alcohol and exhaustion, but she smiled along either way. Just seeing the way Cameron put her whole body into every story she told made a warmth bloom in Donna’s cheeks.

Cameron chucked a few bills on the table when neither of them could stomach the smell anymore. Tired, tipsy messes, the two women shuffled back outside the restaurant. By then, the sun was gone, and only a few stars peeked out through the streetlights.

“What now?” Donna asked, uncertain of what was laying before them, but not too worried if it meant Cameron was there.

Cam hummed, stratching her eyebrow, “I can’t drive at this point. I’ve had too many.”

“Well I’m not sleeping in there.” Donna joked.

“I mean, we have the Airstream.”

A whine catches in Donna’s throat, “But you _promised._ ”

Cameron chuckles, pushing her hand through her hair, “Okay, okay. I’m sure there’s a motel nearby. I’ll ask someone inside. Okay?”

Satisfied with Cameron’s leadership capabilities, and eager to finally have a rest, Donna nodded, eased.

As Cameron walked back into the restaurant, Donna watched, already feeling the absence she had to deal with for so long after Mutiny. An absence she never wanted to know again. 


	2. The Open Road, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI!!!!! I'M BACK!!! My writer's block is over! I got a new keyboard to play with, and with all this extra time... I've made my return! Thank you so much for your patience, and I'm hoping that I can keep going. 
> 
> I changed the name of the collection to just "Femslash collection" meaning, I'll take to writing Camdonna ficlets whenever I can! Anyway, I'm already working on another ficlet for y'all, and I'm eager to get this one out there, so thank you for the wait, and here you go!
> 
> Quick content warning: brief description of nudity, and some internalized homophobia on Cameron's side. Just for y'all to know.

The Open Road, Part II

The nauseating smell of seafood and beer caused Cameron’s already volatile stomach to roll over itself. She tried holding her breath to see if it would help. It didn’t. Even the bartender looked off put by the ungodly combination of smells, but he looked a lot less likely to barf than Cameron was.

Approaching the bar, Cameron just tried to get it out as quick as she could. She had definitely drank way too much.

“Hey, dude.” She said, then winced at herself. She wasn’t some stupid 16 year-old boy. “Are there any hotels or anything nearby? Need to crash for the night.”

The bartender looked up from the glass he was rinsing, and didn’t look very impressed with what he saw, “There’s a motel two blocks west. Straight shot. You’ll see the neon sign when you get there.”

“Thanks.” Cameron said, trying not to inhale too much, but then that’s exactly what she did. A surge of nausea flooded her throat, and she had to swallow a thick vat of vomit back down into her stomach, it made her shiver.

Without another word, Cam left the bar. She pushed open the door and gulped down the fresh air, while Donna looked at her with a lopsided smile on her face.

“That place is _terrible_.” Cameron said, moving over to the edge of the parking lot, where Donna was standing.

Donna turned to face Cameron, “It smells like a whale barfed up a clam that was covered in fermented beer.”

Cameron’s jaw cracked open a bit, “That is exactly what it smells like in there. How did you do that?”

Donna only shrugged, “So, what did he say?”

“Hmm?” It took Cam a second to remember what she was supposed to reply with. The taste of beer was still strong on her tongue. “Oh, he said something about a motel a few blocks that-a-way.” Cameron flicked her hand in a direction, she was pretty sure it was west.”

“Well,” Donna reached into the truck to get her wallet, “then let’s get walking.”

Cameron groaned in protest, “But I really don’t want to walk that far.”

“Suck it up.”

Cameron pressed her cheek into the Airstream, the cool metal felt soothing on her burning face, “Can we please just stay here tonight?”

“I hate that thing.” Donna said, “it hurts my back all the time.”

Jumping up, Cameron practically started to beg, “But that’s the best part of it.”

There was a pause, it seemed like Donna was mulling it over. That didn’t last very long, “I said no, and that’s final.”

Cameron felt too tired to protest, so she let out a long and horrid sigh, “ _Fine._ ”

Just to make a point, Cameron bumped into Donna as they made their way down the sidewalk. Donna shoved back, but even that was a little too much more Cam’s fragile balance, and she almost tipped over entirely. Both women burst into laughter, then linked arms to try and keep each other stable.

“You know that if I fall,” Cameron said, “I’m taking you with me.”

Donna smiled at her, “I’ll take my chances.”

A fuzzy feeling swarmed in Cameron’s chest as her and Donna held one another up along the sidewalk. She tried to think of the last time someone held her up, physically, and metaphorically, but nothing came to mind. Thirty two years on the earth and Cameron couldn’t remember a time when someone really had her back.

It was pitch black by the time the girls reached a neon sign, advertising vacancy at the _Horizon Inn._ The building looked like it wasn’t that far from collapse, and it was in desperate need of a new coat of paint, but that didn’t bother Cameron. If it was a roof over her head, it would work.

Donna flipped through her wallet until she produced a handful of cash.

“Wait here, okay?” She said, unlinking her arm from Cameron’s. Cam groaned, but complied, and tried to balance herself without any help while Donna went to the front office. Through the glass, Cameron could see as she talked to the lady at the front desk who looked no tired than they were.

As Cameron watched, she tried to imagine what Donna was saying, the pitch of her voice, how her lips moved as she talked… her chest flushed thinking about all the little things Donna does, and how well she could recall every tiny movement from Donna’s face every time she looked at her.

Was that how normal people thought of their friends? Did they go out of their way to memorize every little detail about one another? Did they feel invincible around each other? Did they feel like they were in love?

Wait, what?

No, Cameron hadn’t meant that. She was sure of it. Surely friends didn’t feel like they were in love with each other, right? Well… that was how she felt around Tom… No, that’s different. Tom was a man, and she was supposed to feel that way around guys. That’s what her mom told her anyway. But why would she listen to her mom? That addict piece of shit.

Still, Donna wasn’t a guy. It could just be platonic love, right? Or maybe she was much more drunk than she thought.

When Donna left the front office, Cameron snapped to attention like a soldier in the eyes of a captain. Donna gave her a look but Cameron tried to be as natural as she could. Turns out, even when she was trying, acting ‘natural’ wasn’t quite her thing.

“What?” Donna asked, looking at the idiot before her.

“Nothing.” Cameron snapped back, “you get us a room?”

Donna dangled a room key, “Kind of.” She then tossed the key to Cameron, who barely caught it without tumbling over,

Cam narrowed her eyes, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That means,” Donna began to walk to their assigned room, “there’s only one bed.”

An unsettling feeling churned in Cameron’s stomach, something that was far past the festering alcohol. The last thing she wanted to do was sleep in the same bed as the person she was just thinking _that_ about. But another part of her knew it was just some drunken flash. Cameron blinked a few times before she followed Donna to the motel room.

When she got there, the rusted key struggled to get into the door lock, Cameron grunted in impatience as Donna leaned herself against the door frame. From the corner of Cameron’s sight, she could see how Donna looked at her, but she couldn’t quite tell what exactly the look in her eyes was. She shrugged it off as best as she could and shoved the door open with her shoulder.

The first noise that Cameron heard when she stepped inside was the annoying ambiance of flies buzzing around a deer carcass. When Donna switched the light on, it flickered , to the point where Cameron could feel a headache coming on. The carpet felt tacky, even under the soles of her shoes.

Cam watched as Donna moved past her, then belly flopped onto the bed. At least it looked like it was comfortable for her. Kicking the door shut, Cameron stood in place as she watched Donna wiggle on the bed, even as her shirt got rustled and slipped upwards, revealing Donna’s bare stomach. With a surprising amount of discipline, Cameron tore her eyes away from Donna’s skin and walked over to the bed, taking very slow and nervous steps. “Comfy?”

“Yeah.” Donna’s voice was thick as she reached up to ruffle her own hair. Cameron was trying to imagine how that soft hair would feel under her fingers.

_That’s enough. Cut it out._

“Mmmmph…” Donna stretched herself out, “I can’t believe I can still get drunk off of a couple _beers._ ” 

“No kidding,” Cam said, her voice was more breathy than she would have wanted. She scratched at the old homemade tattoo on her shoulder. The contrast of the time she got the tattoo, and the standing in that motel room with Donna was enough to knock the wind out of her chest. Cameron tried to focus on her breathing, rather than the way Donna was breathing. She tried to think about anything other than Donna at that point.

Cameron cleared the gunk from her throat and stepped towards the bathroom door, “I think I’m going to take a shower. I can still smell that restaurant on me.”

Donna made a face at her, “But you don’t have any clean clothes with you.”

Waving her off, Cameron walked into the bathroom, whose bright tacky light burrowed into her eyes. She pushed the door shut behind her, and started taking off her clothes the moment the door latched. When she caught her own eyes in the mirror, she was glued to her own appearance. Not in a self-centered way or anything, but almost like she was looking at a stranger.

Cameron’s skin was more pale than she remembered it, and her freckles were the only thing giving depth to her skin. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot. She didn’t even look like herself, but yet again, she didn’t remember the last time she recognized herself.

Looking away, she ran the faucet in the tub. Somehow, even the water felt tacky on her hand. Cameron tweaked and played with the water’s temperature until it was as cool as the night air outside the room. With all these thoughts swirling around, she figured it was best that she wasn’t surrounded in steam and heat.

Okay, that was a lie. She just needed to take a cold shower.

And why would she need to do that? The same reason why every other adult needs a cold shower. That’s right folks, somehow thinking about Donna and her _hair_ got Cameron in an uncomfortable position, and she wasn't having it. She was drunk as shit and it was making her think things that she really shouldn’t have been.

The water caused her to recoil and gasp, but it didn’t take her long to get used to the water as it cascaded down her back. Her spine felt like it was jutting out of her back, ripping through the skin, and yet she hunched her back even further. She just wanted to curl into a ball and be rid of her mind. What was wrong with her for thinking of Donna like that? Cameron’s face burned under the cool water.

She should think that way about Joe, or Tom. But if she was being honest, neither of them made Cameron feel the way she did around Donna. The more she thought about Donna laying on the bed in the room, the hotter her body felt, until it seemed like the water steamed every time it touched her skin.

When the shower wasn’t working, Cameron almost broke the bath faucet shutting the water off. She stood still for a moment and let the water drip off herself while she controlled her breathing. Once she felt calm enough, Cameron stepped out onto the bathroom floor, without a bathmat, or even a towel, which just felt like a crime, and put her reeking clothed back on.

Back in the room, Donna was laying in a near identical position on the bed, her hands over her face.

“How was the shower?” Donna asked, though her hands. Cameron shrugged before she realized that Donna couldn’t see her.

“It was fine, I guess.” Cam said, sitting on the very edge of the bed.

Donna moved her hand away from her face, propping up on her elbows to face Cameron. Her eyes were heavy lidded, and her smile was lopsided. It made Cameron’s chest feel heavier than it ever has, in the best way possible.

“Sorry I only got one bed.” Donna mumbled, so quiet that Cameron could have mistaken it groan.

“That’s alright, I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Well…” Donna sat up further, pushing her shirt back down over her stomach. “You don’t have to do that, I’m sure we would be fine just on the same one. Just for one night,”

Feeling uncomfortable, Cameron sank her head down to her shoulders, then sat up from the bed, “No, that’s fine. I can lay on the floor.”

Donna reached out and grabbed Cam’s hand. The feeling was so warm, and gentle. She wanted to hold on tighter, but she jerked her hand away before she could think too much about it. Donna frowned, looking disappointed.

“Sorry.” Donna said, taking her hand back.

“No, it’s just-” Cameron started cursing to herself over and over again. She stormed to the other side of the room, grabbing a ratty pillow from an even rattier chair and put it on the floor.

Cameron tried to not notice how Donna was looking at her as she sat down on the floor, and tried to make herself comfortable.

“Cam. What’s wrong?” Donna asked.

“Forget it. I’m tired, and we’re drunk.” Cameron replied, stuffing the side of her head into the pillow. It smelled like moss. 

Donna then got up from the bed, and started making her way over to Cameron, “Cam, talk to me. I’m serious.”

“Me too.” Cameron said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, isn’t that too bad?” Donna said, sitting down on the floor beside Cam. The taller woman just rolled over, avoiding Donna.

“I don’t feel like talking.” Cameron felt like a five-year-old.

She was intent on being stubborn, but when Donna grabbed Cameron’s shoulder and forced her to face Donna. They were so close at that point. Cameron could smell Donna’s breath, she could feel it against her cheeks. Cameron’s jaw loosened up, and she felt like she was probably going to puke. She liked the feeling. She liked what Donna did to her, and she felt like her inhibition was fleeing.

“Stop being stubborn, and tell me what’s wrong.” Donna said. And Cameron was kissing her before another breath. Her lips were dry, and their teeth scraped together, but Cameron wouldn’t trade that very moment for anything else in the world.

When they broke apart, Donna licked her lips. “Well…”

“Well.” Cameron agreed.

“How long have you been holding that one back?” Donna asked.

“It’s… complicated.”

Donna chuckled, it was a gentle sound, “Sure seems like it.” She stands up, and extends a hand down to Cameron, “come.”

There wasn’t anything else she wanted to do. Cameron took Donna’s hand, and rose from the floor. Donna led Cam to the bed and they laid down together.

“Spend the night here with me, okay?”

Cam still felt weary, “You sure?”

“Of course.” Donna reached down to grab Cam’s hand. Their fingers intertwined and fit together so well, it felt like they were two pieces of the same puzzle. Cameron couldn’t believe it took her so long to figure it out.

“Thank you, Donna.”

Donna curled herself around Cameron, then rested her chin on Cameron’s shoulders. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

“You have?’ Cameron asked, Donna’s hair tickling her jaw.

There is no hesitation, “Yeah. for a while, I guess.”

Cameron is left speechless for a moment, “I didn’t know.”

Donna hugs closer, “Well, yeah. I made sure of that.”

A pain sparked in Cameron’s chest. She didn’t want to reply to that. Donna had been thinking about her like that for god knows how long, and Cam didn’t even notice. Yet the second Cameron thought of Donna like that, she thought something was wrong with her. She couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Cam?”

“Huh?” Cameron replied, instinctively curling closer.

Donna dug her chin further into Cam’s shoulder, “Still with me?” 

“Mmm, mhm.” Cam hummed, moving her hand up to Donna’s hair. It was so soft under her fingers.

“Are you… okay?” Donna asked.

Cam sighed, “I don’t know.”

Donna moved her head to look Cameron in the eyes, “You know it’s okay to want this, right?”

Cameron didn’t respond.

“Oh, Cam.”

Closing her eyes to try and stop tears, Cameron sniffles to herself.

Donna placed her hand on Cameron’s cheek, “let’s just… have tonight, okay? We can worry about the rest tomorrow.”

With one last sniffle, Cameron opened her eyes, “I’d like that.”

Their lips lock in the darkness, and Cameron felt lighter than she had in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the wait, and I'll be in touch soon! I hope you're all well amidst everything going on.


End file.
